An Allard type regularity theorem for varifolds with a Hölder condition on the first variation (Q2628970)

If \(U\) is an open subset of \(\mathbb R^{n+k}\), \(M\) is a smooth manifold, and \(\theta\) is the multiplicity function, then \(V=\underset{=} v(M,\theta)\) denotes an \(n\)-rectifiable varifold in \(U\), so that \(M\) is a countably \(n\)-rectifiable \({\mathcal H}^n\)-measurable subset of \(U\) and \(\theta\) is a positive and locally \({\mathcal H}^n\)-integrable function on \(M\). The associated Radon measure is denoted by \(\mu_V={\mathcal H}^n\llcorner\theta\), so that for any \({\mathcal H}^n\)-measurable set \(A\subset\mathbb R^{n+k}\), \(\mu_V(A)=\int_{A\cap M}\theta d{\mathcal H}^n\). The first variation of \(V\) with respect to \(X\) is given by \(\delta V(X)=\int\text{div}_MXd\mu_V\). \(V\) has generalized mean curvature \(\vec H\) in \(U\) if \(\delta V(X)=-\int X\cdot\vec{H}d\mu_V\), where \(\vec{H}\) is a locally \(\mu_V\)-integrable function on \(M\cap U\) with values in \(\mathbb R^{n+k}\). If \(U\) is an open subset of \(\mathbb R^{n+k}\) and \(V=\underset{=} v(M,\theta)\) is a rectifiable \(n\)-varifold in \(U\), then \(V\) is said to satisfy condition \((*)\) in \(U\) if there exists a constant \(K\geq 0\) such that for all \(B_\rho(x)\subset U\) and all \(X\in C^1_c(B_\rho(x),\mathbb R^{n+k})\), \(\delta V(X)\leq K\rho^\alpha\int\|d^MX\|d\mu_V\), where \(d^MX=DX\circ P_{TM}\) with \(P_{T_xM}\) denoting the orthogonal projection matrix of \(\mathbb R^{n+k}\) onto \(T_xM\). In [Ann. Math. (2) 95, 417--491 (1972; Zbl 0252.49028)], \textit{W. K. Allard} proved the regularity theorem stating that for \(p>n\) there exist \(\delta=\delta(n,k,p)\) and \(\gamma=\gamma(n,k,p)\in(0,1)\) such that if \(V=\underset{=} v(M,\theta)\) satisfies certain conditions and has generalized mean curvature \(\vec{H}\) in \(U\) satisfying \(\left(\int_{B_\rho(0)}|\vec{H}|^pd\mu_V\right)^{1/p}\rho^{1-n/p}\leq\delta\), then \(\text{spt}V\cap B_{\gamma\rho}(0)\) is a graph of a \(C^{1,1-n/p}\) function with scaling invariant \(C^{1,1-n/p}\) estimates depending only on \(n, k, p, \delta\). In this paper, the authors prove that Allard's regularity theorem holds for rectifiable n-dimensional varifolds \(V\) assuming a weaker condition on the first variation, in particular, they do not assume the first variation to be bounded. They prove that for \(\alpha\in(0,1)\) there exist \(\delta=\delta(n,k,p)\) and \(\gamma=\gamma(n,k,p)\in(0,1)\) such that if \(V=\underset{=} v(M,\theta)\) satisfies the condition \((*)\) in \(U\) with \(Kp^\alpha\leq\delta\), then \(\text{spt} V\cap B_{\gamma\rho}(0)\) is a graph of a \(C^{1,\alpha}\) function with scaling invariant \(C^{1,\alpha}\) estimates depending only on \(n, k, \alpha,\delta\). Additionally, the authors obtain a boundary regularity theorem in this setting, thereby generalizing Allard's boundary regularity theorem.